CHRISTMAS BRIDGE WORKS IN DEWSBURY

Monday 10 Dec 2007

CHRISTMAS BRIDGE WORKS IN DEWSBURY

Region & Route:

Network Rail has put back the start of a project to replace two railway bridges in Dewsbury to minimise the impact on Christmas shoppers. The bridges concerned carry the railway over the A644 Huddersfield Road at Webster Hill and Watergate Rd. While the bridges are safe, they need replacing to prevent future impact upon services between Dewsbury and Huddersfield. The old bridges will be lifted out and new metal bridge decks lifted into position over the Christmas break. In order for this to be done safely, the inbound carriageway of the A644 Huddersfield Road and Watergate Rd need to be closed from 8pm Saturday 22 December to Saturday 29 December. A contra-flow will be set up on Webster Hill to maintain traffic flow in both directions. Train services do not run on Christmas Day or Boxing Day so will be unaffected by the work. Neil Henry, area general manager for Network Rail, said: "This project will safeguard the future of the Dewsbury – Huddersfield route for decades to come. It is inevitable that this essential work will have some impact on local people and we thank them for their patience. We have moved the start of the work back to Saturday night in order to minimise impact upon Christmas shoppers."

Contact information

Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41

Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries

Journalists
Network Rail press office -London North Eastern & East Midlands route
01904 383180
mediarelations@networkrail.co.uk

About Network Rail

We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.

Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.

Media centre